Selected Advances in Myeloma Research

Source: NCI Funded Research Portfolio. Only projects with assigned common scientific outline area codes are included. A description of relevant research projects can be found on the NCI Funded Research Portfolio Web site.

In a mouse model of myeloma, a combination of inhibitors that produce epigenetic changes in DNA (that is, structural alterations that affect gene expression) through different mechanisms acted synergistically to reduce tumor burden and prolong survival. Additionally, these results provide evidence that a mouse model may aid in predicting the clinical utility of novel therapies by identifying efficacious and safe combinations and eliminating ineffective drug combinations. Published September 2013. [PubMed Abstract]

Thalidomide-like drugs such as lenalidamide, which are effective treatments for myeloma, work by binding cereblon, a protein that marks cellular proteins for degradation, triggering the destruction of two B celltranscription factors that are overactive in myeloma cells. This mechanism is distinct from the way that thalidomide-like drugs cause birth defects—by inactivating cereblon—and suggests that these opposing functions may be uncoupled to produce a safer, and potentially more widely applicable, drug. Published November 2013. [PubMed Abstract]

In the United States, African Americans have a higher prevalence of MGUS and a higher likelihood of progressing from MGUS to myeloma than whites or Hispanics. Published January 2014. [PubMed Abstract]

Trends in NCI Funding for Myeloma Research

NCI’s investment1 in myeloma research was $45.4 million in fiscal year (FY) 2013. In addition to the funding described in the graph, NCI supported $5.6 million in myeloma research in FYs 2009 and 2010 using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

1 The estimated NCI investment is based on funding associated with a broad range of peer-reviewed scientific activities. For additional information on research planning and budgeting at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), see About NIH.